British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just to the north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels down to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their courage," Healey said. "They were part of a great many British personnel stationed over the festive period. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
