UK and French Forces Strike Islamic State Underwater Arsenal in Syria
A joint military operation was carried out by British and French aircraft on Saturday evening, targeting an underground facility in Syria occupied by the Islamic State. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, guided bombs were used to destroy access tunnels to the site, located near the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
The target was reportedly a storage facility for weapons and explosives, with no civilians in the surrounding area. Initial indications suggest that the operation was successful, with Typhoon FGR4 combat jets leading the strike supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Defence Secretary John Healey hailed the operation as a crucial effort to "stamp out any resurgence" of IS, emphasizing the UK's commitment to standing shoulder to shoulder with allies in the fight against terrorism. The defence secretary also praised the armed forces personnel involved, saying they were working to eliminate "dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life".
This latest military action follows ongoing Western efforts to counter a potential resurgence of Islamic State, an Islamist militant group that once controlled parts of Syria before being pushed out in 2019.
A joint military operation was carried out by British and French aircraft on Saturday evening, targeting an underground facility in Syria occupied by the Islamic State. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, guided bombs were used to destroy access tunnels to the site, located near the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
The target was reportedly a storage facility for weapons and explosives, with no civilians in the surrounding area. Initial indications suggest that the operation was successful, with Typhoon FGR4 combat jets leading the strike supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Defence Secretary John Healey hailed the operation as a crucial effort to "stamp out any resurgence" of IS, emphasizing the UK's commitment to standing shoulder to shoulder with allies in the fight against terrorism. The defence secretary also praised the armed forces personnel involved, saying they were working to eliminate "dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life".
This latest military action follows ongoing Western efforts to counter a potential resurgence of Islamic State, an Islamist militant group that once controlled parts of Syria before being pushed out in 2019.
. Like we haven't seen this play out a million times already... "stamp out any resurgence" yeah right, like IS just magically disappears when we blow up their hideouts 
. Palmyra's ancient history is being made a war zone again and for what? So the West can say they did something about it? Meanwhile, I'm over here thinking about all the civilians who might've been caught in the crossfire... or actually living in those tunnels 
. Defence Secretary John Healey must be having some sort of existential crisis, all this "standing shoulder to shoulder" nonsense 
. Can we just have a calm, rational conversation about how to deal with terrorism instead?
It's quite telling that the UK and French forces are still actively engaging with the remnants of the Islamic State in Syria, even years after their initial defeat. The fact that they've been able to pinpoint an underwater arsenal suggests a significant amount of intelligence gathering has been taking place. 
However, one can't help but wonder if this ongoing campaign is merely a Band-Aid solution for the deeper issues surrounding extremist groups and their recruitment strategies.
sounds like it was a successful strike, but gotta wonder what took them so long to take down their underwater arsenal... 
i mean, we all know isis is still out there causing trouble, so better safe than sorry, right? 
hope the military ops are helping to bring peace back to that part of the world 
Defence secretary: we're fighting terrorism... or just trying to get a good selfie 
[GIF of a person taking a selfie with a "terrorism" filter]
this is like something out of a movie, all these years of fighting and now we get to see some real action 
it gives me chills every time i hear him say it because its just so true 
.
. We need to focus on building resilience and promoting inclusive societies rather than just pounding terrorists into submission 
. It's also worth questioning why certain countries are more involved in these operations than others – is it a case of Western power projection or a genuine effort to tackle a global threat?