Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey added. "They were among a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, after an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
