British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among numerous British personnel stationed over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
