British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of access tunnels providing entry to the site... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among numerous British personnel stationed over the holidays. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush killed two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
