london
Reuters
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British and French air forces carried out a joint operation Saturday night in Syria to bomb what they believe to be an underground weapons cache previously used by the Islamic State group, the Ministry of Defense said.
Western aircraft have been conducting patrols to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic extremist group, which controlled parts of Syria until 2019. Britain said intelligence analysis had identified an underground facility in the mountains north of Palmyra that was believed to be used to store weapons and explosives.
“Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels leading to the facility. A detailed assessment is currently underway, but initial indications indicate that the attacks on the targets were successful,” the British Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
Britain said there were “no civilian settlements” in the area before the attack and that all aircraft returned safely.
British Defense Secretary John Healy said: “This action demonstrates British leadership and our determination to stand alongside our allies in eradicating the resurgence of Daesh and its dangerous and violent ideology in the Middle East, also known as the Islamic State.”
Britain said it used Typhoon FGR4 fighter jets to bomb the target, with support from Voyager refueling tankers.
