British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of access tunnels down to the facility... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their valour," he commented. "They were among thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military carried out what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
