Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several approach shafts providing entry to the facility... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," he commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
