Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were among numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
