Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as Daesh - established extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," Healey said. "They were among a great many British troops on duty over the holidays. This action, to take out militants who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
