Joint Anglo-French Aerial Assault Strikes IS Arms Cache in Syria

British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.

The location, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of access tunnels leading to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.

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

The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.

The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.

UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.

"I must thank all the members of British forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," he said. "They were part of a great many UK service members deployed over the holidays. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."

Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.

The United Nations estimates Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.