Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of approach shafts leading to the site... early reports indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were part of thousands of British personnel deployed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate militants who endanger our safety, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
