UK, French warplanes strike suspected IS site in Syria

British and French warplanes carried out an air strike on an underground facility in central Syria where ISIS members are suspected of storing weapons and explosives.

In the statement made by the British Ministry of Defense, it was stated that the attacks took place on Saturday evening on the structure located in the mountains just north of the historical city of Palmyra in the country’s Homs province.

Britain and France are part of the US-led coalition that has been fighting ISIS militants for more than a decade.

The ministry said the British army used Typhoon FGR4 warplanes supported by the Voyager refueling tanker, and French planes joined them in the joint attack.

The statement said the British air force used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels leading to the facility, and while a detailed assessment is currently ongoing, initial indications are that “the target has been successfully engaged”.

Defense Secretary John Healey said: “This action demonstrates our leadership in the UK and our determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies to prevent the resurgence of ISIS and its “violent ideologies” in the Middle East.

No statement was made from the Syrian government regarding the attacks.

Syria joined the anti-ISIS coalition in late 2025.

Despite its defeat in Syria in 2019, ISIS sleeper cells are still carrying out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq, where the extremists once declared a caliphate.

United Nations experts say ISIS still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members in its former strongholds of Syria and Iraq.

In December, the Trump administration launched military strikes in Syria to “eliminate” ISIS fighters and weapons sites in retaliation for an ambush attack near Palmyra days earlier that killed two U.S. soldiers and an American civilian translator.