The United Kingdom and France carried out a joint air strike on Saturday, January 3rd, against a suspected Islamic State (ISIS) underground weapons facility in central Syria, near the ancient city of Palmyra, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
British officials said intelligence showed the site was being used by the jihadist group to store weapons and explosives. Royal Air Force Typhoon jets struck the facility by hitting its access tunnels with precision-guided Paveway IV bombs. Initial assessments suggest the operation was successful. The defence ministry said the area had no civilians and confirmed that all aircraft returned safely.
The operation forms part of wider Western efforts to prevent an ISIS resurgence following years of reduced activity, and comes after the U.S. military claimed it had killed or captured around 25 ISIS fighters during a wave of operations in Syria in late December. Washington retaliated after an ISIS attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter on December 13.
