Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of approach shafts down to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their valour," Healey commented. "Including them were numerous British personnel on duty over the holidays. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military executed what it described as a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, following an assault killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
