RAF Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their bravery," Healey said. "They were among thousands of British troops stationed over the festive period. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
