Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several approach shafts leading 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 strike late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," he said. "Including them were thousands of UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate militants who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
