Coordinated UK-French Airstrike Hits Islamic State Weapons Depot in Syria
Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as ISIS - established militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among thousands of British personnel on duty over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military executed what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.