Combined British-French Air Strike Targets IS Weapons Depot in Syria

Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.

The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several entry passages down to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.

There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.

The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.

Daesh - also known as ISIS - established militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This strike shows our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.

British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their bravery," he commented. "They were among thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."

During December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.

The UN says Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.