Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of entry passages down to the facility... early reports indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were numerous UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate militants who threaten our safety, highlights how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
