British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several approach shafts providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of British forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of numerous UK service members deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
