Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... early reports are that the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - established extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces participating in this strike for their skill and their bravery," he commented. "Including them were numerous British personnel stationed over the festive period. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how British military are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military conducted what it termed a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
