Coordinated Anglo-French Aerial Assault Strikes Daesh Munitions Store in Syria

RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several entry passages providing entry to the facility... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.

There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.

The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This strike shows our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.

UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.

"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces participating in this mission for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among numerous UK service members on duty over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."

In December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "major assault" against Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.

The U.N. estimates IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.