RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several entry passages leading to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces participating in this strike for their skill and their bravery," he added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
