British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of thousands of UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the US military executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, following an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
