However, Daesh's Amaq news agency accused U.S Forces of destroying the mosque, a claim swiftly denied by the USA -led coalition fighting the militant group.
Earlier this month Mosul residents reported ISIS fighters began sealing off the area around the mosque. The coalition added that it had confirmed through drone surveillance that the mosque was destroyed.
IRBIL, IRAQ-Daesh destroyed Mosul's al-Nuri mosque and its iconic leaning minaret known as al-Hadba late Wednesday night when fighters detonated explosives inside the structures, according to Iraq's Ministry of Defence.
The jihadists have destroyed a string of important heritage sites in Iraq and Syria.
It is not clear if the mosque is beyond fix or completely destroyed in a district where an estimated 100,000 civilians could be holed-up and could be used as human shields, according to the UN.
The Iraqi military said its counterterrorism forces were within 50 meters of the mosque when it was destroyed.
The Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19.
They have also covered many streets with sheets of cloth to obstruct air surveillance, making it hard for the advancing troops to hit them without a risk to civilians.
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It's hard to overstate the symbolism of the Old City mosque that has witnessed fierce fighting between ISIS militants and coalition forces.
The Iraqi army believes there to be only 300 Iraqi fighters left in Mosul; there were 6,000 at the start of the offensive, according to Reuters.
Earlier this week aircraft dropped leaflets urging civilians to avoid open spaces and to take any opportunity to escape. ISIS has already Killed hundreds of civilians in Mosul.
Why would IS blow up the Nuri mosque?
Numerous terror group's grotesque crimes, such as the selling of Yazidi women into slavery, destruction of archeology, churches and Yazidi and Shia shrines, were carried out within the city of Mosul and guided by ISIS leaders who recognized the authority of their new caliphate in the summer and fall of 2014.
Grand al-Nuri mosque is where ISIL's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made a rare appearance in June 2014 and gave a speech while standing at a pulpit to proclaim the creation of a "caliphate".
But IS fighters have shown scant regard for history or culture in the three years since their lightning advance across northern Iraq.
Iraqi forces have for months been fighting a bloody battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State, with huge losses to lives and infrastructure. Mosul is the last major city where ISIS controls territory in Iraq.
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