British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," he said. "They were part of numerous British personnel on duty over the holidays. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our safety, shows how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
