Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," he commented. "Including them were a great many British personnel on duty over the festive period. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
