Combined British-French Aerial Assault Hits IS Munitions Store in the Syrian region

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.

The site, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.

There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.

The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.

British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.

"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."

Last December, the US military carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, after an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.

The U.N. reports Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.