British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... initial indications indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "They were part of thousands of British troops on duty over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" against Daesh sites in the country, after an attack killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
