RAF Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of thousands of UK service members on duty over the holidays. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military conducted what it termed a "major assault" against Daesh sites in the country, after an attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
