RAF Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of entry passages down to the facility... early reports suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of both 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 stamp out any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their courage," he said. "They were part of numerous British troops on duty over the holidays. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
