RAF Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several approach shafts providing entry to the depot... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members on duty over the holidays. This operation, to take out militants who pose a risk to our safety, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
