RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several access tunnels down to the depot... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their valour," he added. "They were among a great many UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
