RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of entry passages leading to the facility... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," he added. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an attack killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
