British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in hills just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels leading to the site... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many British troops deployed over the holidays. This operation, to take out militants who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces executed what it called a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an assault killed two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
