Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," Healey commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members deployed over the festive period. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the US military conducted what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
