Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages providing entry to the facility... early reports indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," he said. "Including them were thousands of British personnel stationed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military conducted what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
