🔗 Share this article Coordinated Anglo-French Airstrike Targets Islamic State Weapons Depot in Syria A file photo of an RAF Typhoon fighter jet RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD. The site, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region. "Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced. There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed. The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane. IS - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse. "This strike shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said. UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported. "I must thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," Healey commented. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally." In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra. The U.N. estimates Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
A file photo of an RAF Typhoon fighter jet RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD. The site, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region. "Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced. There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed. The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane. IS - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse. "This strike shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said. UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported. "I must thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," Healey commented. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally." In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra. The U.N. estimates Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.