British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of entry passages providing entry to the site... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military executed what it described as a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
