The British and French air forces carried out a joint operation on Saturday evening to bomb a suspected underground weapons cache in Syria previously used by the Islamic State group, the British Ministry of Defense said.
Western countries carry out regular patrols to prevent a resurgence of the Islamist militant group that controlled parts of Syria until 2019. Intelligence analysis shows that an underground facility in the mountains north of Palmyra was likely used to store weapons and explosives, Britain said.
“Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to attack multiple access tunnels to the facility; although a detailed assessment is ongoing, initial indications indicate that the target was successfully struck,” the British Ministry of Defense said in a statement. Britain said the area was “free of civilian habitation” before the attack and all planes returned safely.
“This action demonstrates our British leadership and our determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East,” said British Defense Secretary John Healey.
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