British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of access tunnels providing entry to the site... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of our armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their bravery," he commented. "They were part of thousands of UK service members on duty over the holidays. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, after an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
