Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels providing entry to the site... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," he added. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" on Daesh sites in Syria, after an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
