Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of access tunnels leading to the depot... initial indications indicate 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 made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," he added. "They were part of numerous British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
