Combined British-French Airstrike Hits IS Arms Cache in Syria

Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.

The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.

"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of approach shafts providing entry to the site... initial indications indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.

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

The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.

"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.

UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.

"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "They were among numerous UK service members on duty over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."

During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.

The U.N. reports Islamic State still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.