British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their bravery," he added. "They were among numerous British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
