British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of access tunnels leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their valour," Healey commented. "They were among a great many UK service members deployed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
