British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of approach shafts down to the site... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their valour," Healey commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members on duty over the holidays. This mission, to remove militants who endanger our security, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
