Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their bravery," Healey said. "They were part of a great many British troops deployed over the festive period. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, shows how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the American forces executed what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, after an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN reports Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
