Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of approach shafts leading to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members on duty over the festive period. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
