British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of numerous British personnel stationed over the holidays. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces executed what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
