Overview
- British officials said RAF Typhoon FGR4 jets, supported by a Voyager tanker and French aircraft, hit an underground complex near Palmyra on the night of January 3–4.
- Guided Paveway IV munitions targeted several tunnel access points at a location the UK described as occupied by ISIS and likely used to store weapons and explosives.
- The UK Ministry of Defence reported the surrounding area had no civilian population and said initial indications showed the target was successfully struck.
- Defence Secretary John Healey framed the operation as standing shoulder to shoulder with allies to prevent any ISIS resurgence, and the French army called counterterrorism a continuing priority.
- ISIS lost territorial control in 2019 but remains active, with UN experts estimating 5,000–7,000 members in Syria and Iraq, and recent U.S. strikes in Syria followed a deadly attack near Palmyra last month.