Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of British forces participating in this strike for their skill and their bravery," Healey added. "They were part of thousands of British troops deployed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it called a "massive strike" against IS targets in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
