Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the depot... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," he said. "They were part of numerous UK service members deployed over the festive period. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" against Daesh sites in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
