British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of access tunnels leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that 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 MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were among a great many British troops deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an attack killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
