RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of access tunnels down to the depot... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," he commented. "Including them were thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces carried out what it called a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
