Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels down to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
