British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside France's air force in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
