Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountains just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of entry passages down to the depot... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many British personnel stationed over the festive period. This mission, to take out militants who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" on Daesh sites in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
