British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of approach shafts down to the site... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among thousands of British personnel deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, after an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
