British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several access tunnels leading to the facility... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military executed what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
