British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their skill and their courage," Healey said. "They were among a great many UK service members deployed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
