Coordinated UK-French Airstrike Hits Islamic State Munitions Store in Syria

RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.

The site, located using intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of entry passages down to the depot... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.

There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.

The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.

British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among thousands of UK service members stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."

In December, the American forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.

The UN estimates IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.