RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, located using surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of approach shafts providing entry to the site... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many UK service members deployed over the festive period. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an assault killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
