RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of access tunnels down to the site... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," Healey said. "They were among a great many British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
