Joint Anglo-French Airstrike Strikes IS Munitions Store in Syria

British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.

The location, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several access tunnels down to the facility... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.

There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.

The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.

British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of thousands of British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."

Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.

The United Nations says Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.