Combined UK-French Air Strike Hits Daesh Munitions Store in the Syrian region

RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.

The location, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several entry passages providing entry to the depot... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.

There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.

The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.

"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.

RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.

"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."

Last December, the US military executed what it called a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.

The UN estimates Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.