Coordinated Anglo-French Air Strike Strikes IS Arms Cache in Syria

British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.

The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.

There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.

The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.

"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.

RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces involved in this mission for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, highlights how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."

In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The U.N. estimates IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.