Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several access tunnels down to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were numerous British troops on duty over the festive period. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the US military conducted what it termed a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
