British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of access tunnels down to the site... early reports suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," Healey said. "They were among a great many British personnel on duty over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
