British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels down 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 ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous British troops on duty over the festive period. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
