RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, located using surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of access tunnels providing entry to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their courage," Healey commented. "They were among thousands of UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
