Combined British-French Aerial Assault Strikes IS Weapons Depot in Syria

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the IS group, as stated by the British defence ministry.

The location, identified by surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several access tunnels down to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," officials stated.

There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.

The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.

The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.

"This action shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.

British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."

During December, the US military carried out what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.

The U.N. says IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.