British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were among numerous British troops deployed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
