British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," Healey said. "They were part of numerous UK service members deployed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military executed what it termed a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN reports Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
