Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in hills just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of entry passages down to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their courage," Healey said. "Including them were a great many UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our security, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an ambush killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
