Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their valour," Healey said. "Including them were a great many British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces conducted what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
