Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of entry passages leading to the facility... early reports indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," he said. "They were part of numerous British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out militants who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
