Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of British forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of thousands of British personnel on duty over the festive period. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
