Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... early reports are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of British forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of a great many British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
