Joint UK-French Aerial Assault Targets IS Arms Cache in Syria
British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their valour," he commented. "Including them were a great many UK service members deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
