RAF Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate militants who endanger our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
