Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of entry passages leading to the facility... early reports are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of thousands of British troops deployed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it called a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
