Joint British-French Air Strike Targets IS Arms Cache in the Syrian region

RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.

The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.

There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.

The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.

"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.

UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their valour," he added. "They were among numerous British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."

In December, the US military conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.

The UN estimates Daesh still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.