RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a several entry passages leading to the site... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their valour," Healey said. "They were part of a great many British troops stationed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our security, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
