RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside France's air force in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several access tunnels down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their courage," Healey added. "They were part of a great many UK service members stationed over the festive period. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "major assault" against IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
