Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," he said. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove militants who endanger our safety, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
