RAF Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of approach shafts down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," Healey commented. "They were among a great many British personnel deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
