RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels leading to the facility... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the American forces executed what it called a "major assault" against IS targets in the country, after an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
