Joint UK-French Airstrike Targets IS Munitions Store in Syria

RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK's MoD.

The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.

There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.

The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

Daesh - referred to as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.

UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.

"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," Healey added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over the holidays. This action, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."

Last December, the US military conducted what it described as a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.

The United Nations says IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.