RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of access tunnels providing entry to the site... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" against IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
