British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their courage," Healey said. "They were among numerous British troops stationed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
