Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over the holidays. This mission, to take out militants who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN reports Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
