British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a several entry passages down to the depot... early reports indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - established militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces involved in this strike for their skill and their courage," Healey said. "They were part of numerous British troops on duty over the holidays. This operation, to remove militants who endanger our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
