RAF Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside France's air force in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of approach shafts leading to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their courage," Healey commented. "They were part of thousands of British personnel deployed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in the country, after an ambush killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
