Combined Anglo-French Airstrike Targets IS Arms Cache in the Syrian region

British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.

The location, located using surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several entry passages providing entry to the site... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.

There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.

The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

Daesh - referred to as Daesh - imposed militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.

UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.

"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, shows how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."

During December, the US military executed what it termed a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The UN says IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.