Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, located using surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts down to the depot... early reports indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of British forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among thousands of British personnel stationed over the festive period. This action, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our security, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an assault killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
