British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out militants who endanger our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, after an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
