British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of approach shafts leading to the site... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey added. "Including them were thousands of British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
