Joint British-French Airstrike Hits IS Munitions Store in the Syrian region
Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their bravery," Healey commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military carried out what it called a "massive strike" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
