British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several access tunnels down to the facility... initial indications are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," Healey added. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, highlights how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the US military executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
