Joint British-French Airstrike Hits IS Arms Cache in the Syrian region

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.

The location, identified by surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just north of Palmyra in central Syria.

"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.

There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.

The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.

UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.

"I must thank every member of British forces participating in this strike for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our safety, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."

During December, the US military conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.

The U.N. says IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.