Royal 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 Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several entry passages providing entry to the depot... early reports indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," he commented. "They were among a great many British troops stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it called a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
