Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages leading to the depot... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of a great many British troops stationed over the festive period. This operation, to take out militants who pose a risk to our security, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
