Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels down to the site... early reports suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were a great many British personnel stationed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
