Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of entry passages providing entry to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," he said. "They were part of numerous British personnel on duty over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how British military are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
