British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among thousands of UK service members deployed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
In December, the US military conducted what it described as a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
