Coordinated British-French Air Strike Targets Daesh Munitions Store in Syria

British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.

The facility, located using intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels down to the site... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.

There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.

The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This strike shows British leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.

British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.

"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of thousands of British troops stationed over the holidays. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how British military are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."

During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, following an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.

The U.N. estimates Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.