British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several entry passages providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of British personnel stationed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
