Joint UK-French Air Strike Strikes Daesh Munitions Store in Syria

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.

The location, located using surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just north of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of access tunnels leading to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.

There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the MoD added.

The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.

British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of thousands of British troops on duty over the festive period. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our safety, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."

During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The UN estimates Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.