LONDON — British and French warplanes carried out coordinated airstrikes in central Syria on Saturday, targeting what officials described as an underground weapons storage facility used by Islamic State militants, underscoring renewed allied efforts to prevent a resurgence of the extremist group.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said the joint operation struck a fortified site hidden in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Homs province. According to the ministry, the facility was believed to house weapons and explosives and included a network of access tunnels carved into the rock.
The British contribution to the mission included Typhoon FGR4 fighter jets supported by a Voyager aerial refueling tanker. The aircraft dropped Paveway IV precision-guided bombs aimed at tunnel entrances leading into the underground complex. While a full damage assessment is ongoing, the ministry said early indications suggest the strikes successfully hit their intended targets. Officials emphasized that the area was assessed to be free of civilian habitation.
Defense Secretary John Healey framed the operation as a demonstration of allied resolve. “This action shows our UK leadership and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies to stamp out any resurgence of Islamic State and its violent ideology in the region,” he said.
Britain and France are long-standing members of the U.S.-led coalition formed more than a decade ago to combat Islamic State, which once controlled vast swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq. Although the group’s self-declared caliphate was defeated in Syria in 2019, it has continued to operate through sleeper cells that carry out sporadic but deadly attacks.
United Nations experts estimate that Islamic State still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters across Syria and Iraq, maintaining the capability to regroup if left unchecked.
There was no immediate response from Syria’s government regarding the latest strikes. Damascus joined the international campaign against Islamic State only late last year.
The operation follows recent U.S. airstrikes in Syria ordered by the Trump administration last month, launched in retaliation for an ambush near Palmyra that killed two American soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter. Together, the actions signal sustained Western military pressure aimed at preventing Islamic State from rebuilding its operational base.
