Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "They were part of thousands of British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
