Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several approach shafts providing entry to the facility... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their valour," he said. "Including them were a great many British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military carried out what it termed a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
