British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... initial indications indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," he said. "They were part of numerous British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
