Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among numerous British personnel deployed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate militants who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces conducted what it called a "major assault" on Daesh sites in Syria, following an assault killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
