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

British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.

The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains 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 series of approach shafts providing entry to the site... initial indications indicate 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 made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.

The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

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

"This strike underscores British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.

UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "Including them were a great many British troops on duty over the festive period. This action, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our safety, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."

In December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The United Nations says Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.