Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of access tunnels down to the depot... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following 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," he commented. "They were part of numerous British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
