British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several approach shafts down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their valour," Healey added. "They were among thousands of British troops stationed over the holidays. This action, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military executed what it called a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
