British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of approach shafts leading to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey said. "They were part of thousands of British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our security, highlights how British military are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
