British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several entry passages leading to the depot... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces involved in this operation for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of a great many British personnel stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
