An underground facility operated by the terrorist group north of Palmyra, Syria, was hit by strike aircraft in a combined raid on Jan. 3, 2026.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the operation on the evening of Jan. 3, amid the global news focus on the U.S. operation in Venezuela, shortly after the mission had been completed.
Secretary of State for Defence John Healey said “This action shows our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East.”
This action shows our UK leadership – and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies – to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East. https://t.co/fJQE3I3ubQ
— John Healey (@JohnHealey_MP) January 3, 2026
The Royal Air Force contingent of the mission used Typhoon FGR4s, which deployed Paveway IV precision guided bombs against the underground complex. They were supported by Voyager refueling aircraft, all flying from RAF Akrotiri inside British territory on the island of Cyprus.
Unlike some recent missions, it is notable that the strike did not appear to make their ingress through Syrian airspace but took the historical routing via Israeli and Jordanian airspace. The new flight path has become more frequently used since the change in leadership in Syria, which now apparently allows coalition aircraft to operate over its airspace with governmental permission.
Aircraft almost certain to have been involved in the strike could be tracked making their way into Syrian airspace around 1730 UTC before returning after 1900 UTC. Routine Operation Shader missions – the operational codename given to the UK’s military intervention against Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL – can regularly be tracked in a similar way, so this would have not impacted operational security to any degree more than usual. In fact, had they been seen or heard making preparing a mission but without ADS-B or Mode S enabled it could tip adversaries off to a more unusual strike being planned.
The French Air Force participated with Rafale jets operating from a base in the Middle East. Video footage posted by official social media accounts depict aircraft carrying AASM Hammer strike weapons, which were presumably the type employed in the mission. French refueling aircraft were likely also involved. Unlike the RAF sorties, French operations over the region are rarely able to be tracked using flight tracking applications.
📍Syrie | Dans le cadre d’OIR (Operation Inherent Resolve) la 🇫🇷 et son allié 🇬🇧 ont réalisé des frappes contre des positions du groupe terroriste de l’État islamique.
⁰➡️ Empêcher la résurgence de Daesh: un enjeu majeur pour la sécurité de la région.
⁰➡️ La lutte contre le… pic.twitter.com/bllq9vSHA7— Armée française – Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) January 4, 2026
In its announcement, the UK MoD stated that careful intelligence analysis had identified the target, which is suspected to have been used to store weapons and explosive materials. It was located far away from any civilian populations, and no risk to civilian life during the strike was identified. The Paveway IV bombs, which are based on 500 lb Mark 82 general purpose bombs, were targeted at access tunnels leading to the facility. A more detailed battle damage assessment (BDA) was yet to be completed at the time of the statement, but initial assessments – likely captured via the LITENING targeting pods carried by Typhoon FGR4s – indicated that the mission had been successful.
Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels down to the facility; whilst detailed assessment is now underway, initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully. pic.twitter.com/IPBOv3rCeR
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) January 3, 2026
The facility was located in a mountain range north of the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which became a hotly contested battleground during the Syrian Civil War. Alongside destruction suffered during fighting and aerial bombardments, Daesh deliberately demolished some of the city’s ancient features and infamously beheaded the site’s Head of Antiquities in a staged public execution after he refused to give up details and locations of some of the city’s most precious treasures.
Geolocations using open source data by analyst Samir (@obretix) indicate that the facility was around 40 kilometres north of Palmyra, well clear from the risk of causing any damage to historical fabrics around the site.
Coalition airstrike in Syria geolocated ~40km north of Palmyra https://t.co/xdk47qAPNw https://t.co/HLznelESMm pic.twitter.com/v2rrR25nVp
— Samir (@obretix) January 4, 2026
Though Daesh has not held significant amounts of territory in Syria since the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani in 2019, pockets of the group’s influence still exist in small, focused areas. In September 2024, the United States announced that the military intervention against Daesh would draw to a close over the following 12 months and transition to a new phase, which was echoed by a UK statement. Despite well over 12 months having passed, operations against Daesh show little sign of slowing down compared to prior to the announcement, and both Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Shader continue to be active.
The official social media presence for the Combined Joint Task Force participating in Operation Inherent Resolve shared news of the mission, and said: “Although Daesh no longer controls territory, it continues to operate through remaining cells, particularly in remote desert areas. This operation demonstrates the continued unity, capability, and resolve of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) partners, including France and the United Kingdom, to disrupt ISIS’s ability to regroup, rearm, and conduct attacks.”
