British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of British forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, after an ambush killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
