Joint UK-French Aerial Assault Strikes Daesh Arms Cache in the Syrian region

Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.

The location, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.

There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.

The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.

British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were thousands of British personnel on duty over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our safety, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."

In December, the US military carried out what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The United Nations says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.