British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several approach shafts down to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among numerous British personnel on duty over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an assault killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
