British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of entry passages leading to the facility... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their courage," he commented. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
