Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts leading to the facility... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
