RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among a great many UK service members stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove militants who threaten our security, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military executed what it described as a "massive strike" on IS targets in the country, after an ambush killed two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
