British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of entry passages down to the site... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were a great many British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an attack killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
