Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military executed what it described as a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
