British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," he said. "They were among thousands of British personnel on duty over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the US military conducted what it described as a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
