British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of access tunnels leading to the facility... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of thousands of UK service members stationed over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate militants who endanger our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
