Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of entry passages providing entry to the facility... early reports indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their valour," Healey said. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over the festive period. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" against Daesh sites in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
