Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of entry passages providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among a great many British troops deployed over the festive period. This action, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
