Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of approach shafts down 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 on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of thousands of UK service members on duty over the holidays. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, highlights how British military are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
