RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of entry passages leading to the site... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces participating in this strike for their skill and their bravery," Healey added. "They were among a great many British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our security, highlights how British military are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
