Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of approach shafts leading to the facility... early reports are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members on duty over the festive period. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
