Joint UK-French Airstrike Hits Islamic State Munitions Store in Syria

Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

The location, located using intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of access tunnels providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.

There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.

The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

IS - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.

"This action shows our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.

UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.

"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "They were among thousands of British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."

During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.

The U.N. says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.