Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, located using surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several approach shafts down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of British forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their courage," Healey commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members stationed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our security, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
