Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, located using intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of access tunnels down to the facility... early reports indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as ISIS - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces participating in this strike for their skill and their courage," Healey added. "Including them were thousands of British troops stationed over the festive period. This operation, to take out militants who pose a risk to our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
