Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their bravery," he said. "Including them were a great many British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an assault killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
