Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of approach shafts providing entry to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were among numerous UK service members on duty over the festive period. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
