Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of approach shafts leading to the depot... early reports suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how British military are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
