Joint British-French Airstrike Strikes IS Arms Cache in Syria

Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the IS group, per a report from the UK's MoD.

The location, located using intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several access tunnels providing entry to the facility... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.

There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.

The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.

The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This strike shows British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.

RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he added. "They were among thousands of UK service members deployed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."

Last December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.

The UN estimates Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.