Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, located using intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as Daesh - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey said. "They were among numerous British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
