Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several access tunnels down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of thousands of British personnel on duty over the holidays. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, shows how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military executed what it termed a "massive strike" against IS targets in the country, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
