Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a several entry passages providing entry to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of numerous British personnel on duty over the festive period. This action, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our safety, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "major assault" against IS targets in the country, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Daesh still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
