British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among numerous British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how British military are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
