Joint UK-French Air Strike Strikes Daesh Arms Cache in the Syrian region

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.

The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of entry passages down to the site... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.

There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.

The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.

RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," he said. "They were among thousands of UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."

Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.

The UN says Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.