Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of entry passages providing entry to the depot... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their valour," Healey added. "Including them were thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
