British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," he said. "They were part of thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military executed what it described as a "major assault" on Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
