Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several approach shafts leading to the site... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were numerous British personnel on duty over the festive period. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
