British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of access tunnels down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of British forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of numerous British troops stationed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, demonstrates how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
