RAF Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of British forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey said. "They were part of thousands of British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate militants who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
