Coordinated British-French Airstrike Targets Daesh Weapons Depot in Syria

British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.

The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of entry passages providing entry to the depot... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.

There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.

The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

Daesh - also known as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.

"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.

UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."

Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "major assault" on Daesh sites in the country, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.

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