Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out militants who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
