RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were a great many British personnel stationed over the holidays. This operation, to remove militants who endanger our security, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
