The United Kingdom says it joined France in overnight air strikes on an underground facility near Palmyra in Syria that is believed to have been used by the Islamic State (IS) armed group to store weapons.
The British Ministry of Defence said it had cooperated with France on Saturday night to strike an underground facility in Syria that had likely been used by the Islamic State group to store weapons.
The ministry said there was no indication the bombing north of the ancient site of Palmyra had posed any risk to civilians.
"Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France," the ministry said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
"This facility had been occupied by Daesh, most likely to store weapons and explosives. The area around the facility is devoid of any civilian habitation," the statement added.
The French military command later Sunday confirmed on X that it had carried out "strikes against positions of the Islamic State terrorist group" to "prevent the resurgence of Daesh", without giving further details.
The strikes were carried out as part of Operation Inherent Resolve – the international anti-jihadist coalition coordinated by the United States, the message said.
British aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target several access tunnels leading to the facility, the statement said, adding that a detailed assessment was currently underway but that initial indications showed that "the target was successfully hit". It did not specify the role of French aircraft.
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Ongoing presence
IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 but still maintains a presence, particularly in the country's vast desert.
Known to Syrians as the "Pearl of the Desert", Palmyra was home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins before Syria's 13-year war.
IS launched a campaign of destruction after capturing Palmyra, using its ancient theatre as a venue for public executions and murdering its 82-year-old former antiquities chief.
The jihadists blew up the shrine of Baal Shamin, destroyed the Temple of Bel, dynamited the Arch of Triumph, looted the museum and defaced statues and sarcophagi.
Last month, Washington said a lone IS gunman in Palmyra attacked American personnel, killing two US soldiers and a US civilian.
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US forces said they struck dozens of IS targets in Syria in retaliation.
(with AFP)
