British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among numerous British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, after an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
