British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the facility... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of British forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," Healey said. "Including them were a great many British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our security, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" against IS targets in Syria, after an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
