Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... early reports are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as Daesh - established militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "They were part of thousands of British personnel deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, highlights how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
