British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of entry passages providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
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 Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," he said. "They were part of thousands of British personnel stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military carried out what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
