Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels down to the site... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey added. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
During December, the US military conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, after an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
