Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of entry passages down to the site... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as Daesh - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, highlights how British military are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
