RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts leading to the depot... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of British troops deployed over the festive period. This action, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces executed what it called a "major assault" targeting IS targets in Syria, after an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
