RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians 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 - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces involved in this strike for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, highlights how British military are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military carried out what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
