British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several access tunnels providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among numerous UK service members stationed over the holidays. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, highlights how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
