RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in hills just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of thousands of British personnel stationed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an ambush killed two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
