Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an attack killed two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
