A photo released by the United Kingdom's ministry of Defense shows a British Royal Air Force Typhoon preparing to take off from the island of Cyprus for a patrol over Syria. Photo taken on January 3, 2026. AFP PHOTO/CROWN COPYRIGHT 2025/SGT LEE GODDARD
The fight against terrorism in Syria continues to play out endlessly, strike after strike. On the evening of Saturday, January 3, the United Kingdom and France carried out a joint air offensive against an underground facility that the Islamic State group (IS) was suspected of using to store weapons and explosives. According to the British defense ministry, guided bombs were used to target several access tunnels leading to the facility in the mountains just north of the historic city of Palmyra.
The operation was conducted by British Typhoon fighter jets and French aircraft. (Yhe French military command did not disclose the specific aircraft models used.) The Royal Air Force (RAF) operated out of the British base at Akrotiri, on the island of Cyprus. France, meanwhile, relied on units it had deployed in the United Arab Emirates (at Base 104, located near Abu Dhabi) and Jordan (at Base H5, a few kilometers from the Syrian border). The strikes took place in the early evening. According to the British defense ministry, initial reports suggested that the target was "engaged successfully."
