British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - enforced militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
