Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of access tunnels down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their bravery," Healey said. "They were part of a great many UK service members on duty over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how British military are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
