British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts down to the facility... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their valour," he said. "Including them were a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces executed what it called a "major assault" against IS targets in the country, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
