RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of entry passages leading to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their courage," Healey said. "They were part of numerous British personnel deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
