British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels leading to the depot... early reports are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among numerous British troops on duty over the holidays. This action, to take out militants who endanger our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
