Joint UK-French Airstrike Targets Islamic State Munitions Store in the Syrian region

British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.

The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of approach shafts down to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.

There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.

The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - imposed militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This action shows our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.

UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.

"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among a great many UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our security, shows how British military are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."

Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.

The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.