Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountains just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts down to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their courage," Healey said. "They were part of thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our security, highlights how British military are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
