British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were among numerous UK service members on duty over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
