Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces participating in this mission for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were numerous UK service members stationed over the holidays. This action, to remove militants who threaten our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the US military conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
