British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages leading to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the American forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
