Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," he commented. "They were part of numerous British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove militants who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "major assault" against Daesh sites in Syria, following an assault killed two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
