RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of approach shafts down to the site... early reports are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
