RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "Including them were numerous British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how British military are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
