Coordinated UK-French Aerial Assault Targets IS Munitions Store in Syria

RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.

The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.

There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.

The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

Daesh - referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.

British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.

"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "They were among a great many British troops deployed over the festive period. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."

During December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The U.N. reports IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.