Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, 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 conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces participating in this mission for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many UK service members on duty over the festive period. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military conducted what it called a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
