RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, located using surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove militants who endanger our safety, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
