British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels leading to the facility... early reports indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - established militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in the country, following an attack killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
