Joint British-French Aerial Assault Hits Islamic State Weapons Depot in Syria

RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.

The site, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.

There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.

The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

IS - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This strike underscores British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.

RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.

"I must thank every member of British forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," he said. "Including them were numerous British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how British military are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."

In December, the US military conducted what it called a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The U.N. estimates Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.