Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages down to the site... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, after an assault killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
