Britain and France carried out a joint air operation late Saturday night, striking what London described as a suspected underground weapons depot in Syria previously used by Islamic State (ISIS), Reuters reported. According to Britain’s defense ministry, the target was hit using precision munitions.
“Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels down to the facility; whilst detailed assessment is now underway, initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry said in a statement.
UK Defense Secretary John Healey MP said the strike underscored Britain’s commitment to confronting the threat of Islamic State alongside its allies.
“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," said Healey, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.
Healey also praised the personnel involved in the mission, saying, “I want to thank all the members of our Armed Forces involved in this operation - for their professionalism and their courage."
ISIS overran large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a "caliphate" in land it controlled.
Several military offensives, including ones backed by a US-led international coalition, have since seen ISIS lose most areas it once controlled, including the loss of their de facto capital in Raqqa, Syria.
However, ISIS sleeper cells remain in the area and continue to carry out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq.
The joint British-French strike comes days after US and Jordanian forces hit more than 70 ISIS targets in central Syria using over 100 precision munitions on December 19. The massive coordinated strike involved dozens of fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery units that destroyed terrorist infrastructure and weapons depots.
The strikes were in response to an ISIS attack in Palmyra that killed three Americans.