Combined UK-French Aerial Assault Hits IS Weapons Depot in the Syrian region

Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.

The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.

"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts leading to the facility... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.

There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.

The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.

The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.

British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many UK service members on duty over the festive period. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."

In December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The U.N. estimates Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.