British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several approach shafts providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over the holidays. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces executed what it described as a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, following an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN reports Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
