Joint Anglo-French Air Strike Strikes Islamic State Arms Cache in the Syrian region

RAF Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.

The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated 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 hit a several access tunnels providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.

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

The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.

UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.

"I want to thank every member of British forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were thousands of British troops on duty over the festive period. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how British military are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."

Last December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The UN reports IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.