British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of British forces participating in this strike for their skill and their valour," he added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our safety, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
