RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of entry passages leading to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British personnel deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in the country, after an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
