RAF Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of British forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their courage," he said. "They were part of thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
