RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, located using surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of approach shafts down to the site... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey said. "Including them were a great many UK service members deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our security, shows how British military are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
