British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our security, shows how British military are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military executed what it called a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
