British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of approach shafts leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were part of thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
