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05-01-2026
PARIS/ DAMASCUS: Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined French aircraft in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), the UK Ministry of Defence says.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was in mountains just north of Palmyra, an ancient site in central Syria.
“Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels down to the facility… initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully,” the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager refueling tanker.
IS also known as Daesh, imposed jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
“This action shows our UK leadership and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East,” UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to “prevent any attempted resurgence” of IS following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
“I want to thank all the members of our armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their courage,” Healey said.
“They were among thousands of British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”
In December, the US military carried out what it called a “massive strike” against IS targets in Syria, after an ambush killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq. Inside Syria’s jail for IS suspects as officials say attacks by group are rising
On 18th December, the US said, its military has carried out a “massive strike” against the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria, in response to a deadly attack on American forces in the country.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery “struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria”. Aircraft from Jordan were also involved.
It said the operation “employed more than 100 precision munitions” targeting known IS infrastructure and weapons sites.
President Donald Trump said “we are striking very strongly” against IS strongholds, following the 13 December IS ambush in the city of Palmyra in which two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed.
In a statement on social media, Centcom which directs American military operations in the Middle East, north-east Africa, central and southern Asia, said Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched at 16:00 Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday.
Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that the US “will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region”. Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), told media that “at least five members of the Islamic State group were killed” in eastern Syria’s Deir ez Zor province, including the leader of a cell responsible for drones in the area. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
