Combined UK-French Air Strike Strikes Islamic State Arms Cache in the Syrian region

Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.

The location, located using surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.

"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.

There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.

The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.

IS - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.

"This action demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.

British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I must thank all the members of British forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over the holidays. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."

During December, the American forces conducted what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.