British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their courage," Healey commented. "They were among numerous UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove militants who threaten our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military conducted what it termed a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
