British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... initial indications indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the US military carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
