Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of approach shafts leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," he added. "They were part of a great many UK service members on duty over the festive period. This action, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces executed what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, after an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
