Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels leading to the site... early reports are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the US military carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
