LONDON: Britain and France on Sunday said they had carried out joint strikes on the militant Islamic State group in Syria to prevent the extremists from resurging.

France said it was part of Operation Inherent Res­olve, a US-led international offensive against IS in Iraq, Syria and also Libya.

The British Ministry of Defence said it cooperated with France on Saturday night to strike an underground facility in Syria that had likely been used by the IS group to store weapons.

“Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France,” the ministry said 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.

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

The French armed forces said in a statement on X that as part of Oper­ation Inherent Resolve, the two “carried out strikes against positions of the terrorist group Islamic State”. “Preventing the resurgence of Daesh is a major issue for the security of the region,” it added.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2026