Combined UK-French Air Strike Strikes IS Munitions Store in the Syrian region
RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many British personnel on duty over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
