British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several access tunnels down to the site... early reports suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their valour," he said. "They were among numerous UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out militants who threaten our security, shows how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
