Combined Anglo-French Air Strike Hits Islamic State Munitions Store in Syria

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.

The facility, located using intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... early reports are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.

There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.

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

Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This operation shows British leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.

UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among numerous UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."

Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.

The UN says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.