Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their skill and their bravery," he said. "They were part of a great many UK service members on duty over the festive period. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
