British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," he said. "Including them were a great many British troops stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military conducted what it termed a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush killed two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
