When France and the United Kingdom Strike the Islamic State Near Palmyra in Syria
By Jean Wesley Pierre · Port-au-Prince · · 2 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
The United Kingdom and France jointly conducted, on the evening of Saturday, January 3, 2026, an airstrike in Syria targeting infrastructure of the Islamic State (IS) group, the British Ministry of Defence announced on Sunday. The operation took place in the mountains located north of the ancient city of Palmyra, in the center of the country.
According to the official statement, the strike targeted an underground site suspected of being used by the jihadist organization, « very probably for the storage of weapons and explosives ». British forces used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike several access tunnels leading to the facility.
The British ministry specifies that « a detailed assessment is currently underway », while indicating that initial analyses confirm the target was successfully hit. No specific details were provided on the exact role played by French aircraft during the operation.
British authorities also assure that the strike posed no risk to civilians and that all aircraft involved returned to their base without incident.
In the same statement, British Defence Minister, John Healey, praised an operation illustrating « the United Kingdom's determination to stand alongside its allies to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and its violent ideologies in the Middle East ».
Although militarily defeated in 2019 by the international coalition, after having controlled vast portions of Syrian and Iraqi territory, notably the Palmyra region, the Islamic State group remains active. Its fighters, retreated into the desert areas of Syria, continue to carry out sporadic attacks against local and international forces.
At the end of December, the United States had already announced conducting strikes against IS « strongholds » in Syria, killing at least five jihadists according to a non-governmental organization. These operations followed an attack that claimed the lives of three American nationals in the country.
This new joint Franco-British strike thus continues international efforts aimed at preventing any operational reconstitution of the jihadist organization in a Syria still weakened by more than a decade of conflict.
