The UK Royal Air Force and French aircraft carried out a joint airstrike on an underground Islamic State weapons facility north of Palmyra, Syria, on the evening of January 3, 2026, using Paveway IV guided bombs to target access tunnels, according to the UK Ministry of Defence as announced over the past two hours. RAF Typhoon FGR4s joined the French operation on the facility identified by intelligence as an ISIS weapons store, with initial indications confirming the target was successfully engaged and no civilians were harmed, the Ministry of Defence stated in a government release cited by DefenceHQ on X. All aircraft returned safely. Defence Secretary John Healey said: “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,” per a post by journalist Alex Wickham referencing the Ministry. The RAF has continued patrols over Syria to prevent any attempted resurgence of the Daesh terrorist movement, as noted by DefenceHQ, with this strike occurring during ongoing coalition efforts against ISIS remnants.
