British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels leading to the site... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," Healey said. "They were among numerous British troops deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
