Coordinated Anglo-French Aerial Assault Strikes Daesh Arms Cache in Syria

RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.

The site, located using surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several access tunnels providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," officials stated.

There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.

The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.

The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This action underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.

British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I want to thank every member of British forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their valour," he said. "They were among thousands of UK service members stationed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."

In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, following an attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.

The United Nations reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.