Combined UK-French Airstrike Targets Daesh Munitions Store in Syria

Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria used by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.

The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several approach shafts leading to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.

There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.

The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.

"This operation underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.

RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of thousands of UK service members deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."

In December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.

The U.N. says Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.