British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of British forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over the festive period. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military conducted what it termed a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
