Joint UK-French Air Strike Targets IS Arms Cache in the Syrian region

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.

The site, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.

There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.

The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

Daesh - referred to as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This operation underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.

UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.

"I want to thank every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," Healey said. "They were among thousands of British personnel stationed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."

In December, the American forces executed what it called a "major assault" against Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The UN says IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.