RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of access tunnels down to the site... early reports are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of thousands of UK service members deployed over the festive period. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
