RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several entry passages providing entry to the site... initial indications indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
