British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of access tunnels leading to the depot... initial indications are that 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 fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out militants who threaten our way of life, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the US military conducted what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, following an ambush killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
