Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... early reports indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were numerous British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the US military carried out what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
