British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of access tunnels providing entry to the site... early reports suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their valour," Healey commented. "They were part of a great many UK service members stationed over the holidays. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it called a "major assault" on Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
