Combined Anglo-French Air Strike Targets Daesh Arms Cache in Syria

British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of approach shafts leading to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.

There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.

The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.

"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.

UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among a great many British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."

In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.

The U.N. estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.