Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of access tunnels providing entry to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among numerous British troops stationed over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our security, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, following an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
