British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of entry passages down to the facility... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our security, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
