Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of access tunnels down to the facility... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were among a great many British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "massive strike" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
