Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as Daesh - established jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of a great many British personnel stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
