British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several access tunnels down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "They were part of a great many British personnel stationed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
In December, the US military executed what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, following an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
