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

British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.

The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several entry passages down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.

There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.

The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.

Daesh - referred to as ISIS - established extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.

"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.

UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.

"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their courage," he added. "They were part of a great many UK service members on duty over the festive period. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our security, shows how British military are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."

In December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.

The United Nations reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.