Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the depot... early reports indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - imposed militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of our armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey said. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military carried out what it termed a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
