Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many UK service members on duty over the festive period. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the US military conducted what it called a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
