British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside France's air force in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of entry passages leading to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their valour," he said. "They were part of a great many UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our safety, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military conducted what it described as a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
