Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside France's air force in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," he added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members on duty over the holidays. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
