British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were among numerous British personnel stationed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, following an ambush killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
