Combined UK-French Air Strike Strikes IS Weapons Depot in Syria

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.

The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of entry passages providing entry to the facility... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.

There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.

The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

Daesh - also known as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.

"This operation underscores British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.

British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "Including them were a great many UK service members deployed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."

Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.

The U.N. estimates IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.