British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," Healey added. "They were part of a great many British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military carried out what it termed a "major assault" on Daesh sites in the country, following an assault killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
