Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their valour," Healey said. "They were among a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out militants who threaten our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
