Joint UK-French Aerial Assault Targets Daesh Munitions Store in Syria

British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.

The location, identified by surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of entry passages leading to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.

There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.

The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.

RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," he commented. "Including them were a great many British personnel on duty over the holidays. This action, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."

During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.

The UN says Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.