RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of entry passages down to the depot... early reports suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as ISIS - established extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," he commented. "Including them were thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This mission, to remove militants who threaten our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "major assault" against Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
