RAF Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," he said. "They were among a great many UK service members deployed over the festive period. This mission, to take out militants who threaten our safety, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it described as a "major assault" on Daesh sites in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
