LONDON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- British and French air forces conducted a joint operation on Saturday evening to bomb a suspected underground arms storage facility previously used by the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, the British Defense Ministry has said.
Britain's Royal Air Force aircraft identified an underground facility in the mountains some miles north of the ancient site of Palmyra, said a statement issued by the ministry Saturday night, adding that the facility was most likely used to store "weapons and explosives."
British air forces used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels down to the facility, and initial indications are that the target was "engaged successfully," said the statement.
The area around the facility is "devoid of any civilian habitation", and there is "no indication of any risk" posed to civilians by the strike, it added. ■
