Combined UK-French Airstrike Hits IS Munitions Store in the Syrian region

RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside France's air force in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.

The site, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of access tunnels down to the facility... early reports indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.

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

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

IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.

"This action demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.

UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the ministry said.

"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of British personnel on duty over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, shows how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."

During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.

The UN reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.