Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," Healey said. "They were among thousands of British troops on duty over the festive period. This action, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
