RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several access tunnels leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces participating in this strike for their skill and their courage," he said. "They were part of a great many UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our safety, highlights how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military conducted what it termed a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
