British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts leading to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," Healey said. "They were among numerous British personnel on duty over the festive period. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
