Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of entry passages down to the depot... early reports suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of British forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," he said. "Including them were a great many UK service members on duty over the festive period. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
