RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of entry passages leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - enforced militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
