Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of approach shafts leading to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how British military are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it called a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
