British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of approach shafts down to the facility... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among numerous British personnel deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the US military conducted what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
