British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," Healey said. "They were part of thousands of British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it described as a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
