Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their courage," he said. "Including them were thousands of British personnel deployed over the holidays. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
