Combined Anglo-French Aerial Assault Targets Daesh Weapons Depot in Syria
British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, according to the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several entry passages leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as Daesh - imposed militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," he said. "Including them were numerous British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the American forces executed what it described as a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
