British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several entry passages providing entry to the depot... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "They were part of a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
