Combined British-French Airstrike Hits Islamic State Arms Cache in the Syrian region

British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack 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 surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.

There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.

The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This strike shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.

UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.

"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were part of thousands of British troops on duty over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."

Last December, the American forces carried out what it called a "major assault" on Daesh sites in the country, after an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The UN reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.