Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages down to the facility... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their valour," he commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out militants who pose a risk to our safety, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
