RAF Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of approach shafts down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many UK service members deployed over the festive period. This action, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
In December, the US military conducted what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
