RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, located using intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of access tunnels down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among thousands of UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
