British, French warplanes strike suspected ISIS facility near Palmyra in Syria

British and French warplanes struck an underground facility believed to have been used by Islamic State militants to store weapons and explosives, the U.K. Ministry of Defence confirmed Sunday.

The strike took place Saturday evening in a mountainous region north of Palmyra, in Syria’s Homs province.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 fighter jets, supported by a Voyager refueling tanker, operated with French aircraft to strike access tunnels leading to the underground site.

Paveway IV precision-guided bombs were also used in the operation. 

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An assessment was ongoing, but initial indications suggested that the target was successfully hit, the ministry said.

Britain and France are partners in the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, which was formed to combat the extremist group after it had previously seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. 

U.K. Secretary of State for Defence Sir John Healey said the strike showed Britain’s determination to prevent any resurgence of Islamic State and to stand “shoulder to shoulder with our allies” against extremist violence in the Middle East.

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The operation came amid continued U.S. military activity in Syria, where American forces have conducted counterterrorism missions in the country.

In December, the Trump administration also ordered large-scale U.S. strikes across central Syria.

This was in retaliation for an ambush near Palmyra that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter.

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As previously reported by Fox News Digital, according to U.S. Central Command, ISIS remains an active and persistent threat despite sustained pressure from coalition forces.

CENTCOM said recent U.S. operations in the region have also targeted infrastructure and weapons sites across central Syria.

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“We will not relent,” Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement on Dec. 30.

“We are steadfast in commitment to working with regional partners to root out the ISIS threat posed to U.S. and regional security.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.K. Ministry of Defence for comment.