Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their courage," he said. "Including them were a great many British troops on duty over the holidays. This action, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, following an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
