RAF Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the site... early reports are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - imposed militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their courage," he commented. "Including them were a great many UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
