RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces participating in this strike for their skill and their courage," he added. "Including them were thousands of British personnel deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove militants who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military carried out what it termed a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
