British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of our armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," Healey said. "They were part of thousands of British troops on duty over the holidays. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
