Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in hills just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of access tunnels providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
