The UK Ministry of Defence said RAF jets joined French aircraft in striking an underground ISIL weapons facility north of Palmyra, describing the area as devoid of civilian habitation. CENTCOM reported US operations in late December that killed or captured about 25 ISIL fighters following the December 13 attack that killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter. Turkiye has carried out nationwide raids, detaining 125 suspects across 25 provinces and later reporting 357 further detentions after a deadly shootout in Yalova. The actions highlight renewed concerns about ISIL activity across the region amid ongoing instability in Syria.
UK and France Hit Underground ISIL Weapons Facility North of Palmyra in Joint Strike
ISIL has been more active in Syria and beyond in recent weeks and months [File: Syrian Democratic Forces via AP]
The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence said Royal Air Force jets joined French aircraft in striking an underground facility north of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra that was likely being used by the ISIL group to store weapons. The MoD described the Saturday night operation as a joint action and said the target area was "devoid of any civilian habitation."
Official Statements
"Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France," the Ministry of Defence said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) also said in late December that US forces had killed or captured roughly 25 ISIL fighters during a nine-day campaign of operations in Syria. CENTCOM described those operations as a coordinated response that followed the December 13 attack in which two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed.
Regional Security and Turkish Operations
Turkiye's government announced nationwide raids that detained more than 100 suspected ISIL members as authorities warned of renewed regional activity by the group after a period of relative quiet. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Turkish forces rounded up 125 suspects across 25 provinces, including arrests in Ankara.
The raids followed a deadly shootout in the northwestern city of Yalova between Turkish police and suspected ISIL members that left three Turkish police officers and six suspected ISIL members dead; Turkish authorities later reported a wider sweep that detained 357 additional suspects in a coordinated crackdown.
Context and Past Attacks
ISIL previously conducted a deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s celebrations in 2017 that killed 39 people. Turkish prosecutors said at the time they had received intelligence indicating operatives were planning attacks in Turkiye, particularly targeting non-Muslims during holiday periods.
Syria has endured more than a decade of brutal conflict that has left large parts of the country fractured and vulnerable to insurgent activity. ISIL retains some cells and the capacity to carry out attacks across the region, and Turkiye — which shares a roughly 900 km (560-mile) border with Syria — continues large-scale counterterrorism operations to disrupt those networks.
Note: This article corrects earlier inaccurate phrasing about Syria's political leadership; there is no verified information that the Syrian government was ousted. The situation in the region remains fluid and subject to further developments.
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