Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of access tunnels down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as Daesh - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among a great many British personnel stationed over the festive period. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, after an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
