TheBritishMinistry of Defence said it had cooperated with Franceon Saturday night to strike an underground facility inSyriathat had likely been used by theIslamic Stategroupto store weapons.

The ministry said there was no indication the bombing north of the ancient site of Palmyrahad posed any risk to civilians.

"Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation withFrance," the ministrysaid in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

"This facility had been occupied by Daesh, most likely to store weapons and explosives. The area around the facility is devoid of any civilian habitation," the statement added.

British aircraft usedPaveway IVguided bombs to target several access tunnels leading to the facility, the statement said, adding that a detailed assessment was currently underway but that initialindications showed that "the target was successfully hit".

It did not specify the role of French aircraft.

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Ongoing presence

IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 but still maintains a presence, particularly in the country's vast desert.

Known to Syrians as the "Pearl of the Desert",Palmyrawas home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins before Syria's 13-year war.

IS launched a campaign of destruction after capturing Palmyra, using its ancient theatre as a venue for public executions and murdering its 82-year-old former antiquities chief.

The jihadists blew up the shrine of Baal Shamin, destroyed the Temple of Bel, dynamited the Arch of Triumph, looted the museum and defaced statues and sarcophagi.

Last month, Washington said a lone IS gunman in Palmyra attackedAmerican personnel, killing two US soldiers and a US civilian.

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US forces said they struckdozens of IS targets in Syria in retaliation.

(with AFP)

Originally published on RFI