British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several entry passages leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of British forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "They were part of a great many British personnel stationed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
