British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several entry passages leading to the site... early reports are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of thousands of British troops deployed over the festive period. This operation, to take out militants who threaten our safety, highlights how British military are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
