British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several approach shafts down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their bravery," he said. "They were among a great many British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
