RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several access tunnels down to the depot... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their valour," he said. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the US military conducted what it called a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
