Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes 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 location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several access tunnels down to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - enforced militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of British forces involved in this strike for their skill and their valour," Healey commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
