RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts down to the depot... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their courage," Healey added. "Including them were a great many UK service members on duty over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
