RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several approach shafts providing entry to the depot... early reports indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of British forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," he commented. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This operation, to take out militants who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
