Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several access tunnels leading to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were part of numerous British personnel deployed over the holidays. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, following an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
