British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of approach shafts down to the depot... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were among numerous British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate militants who endanger our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
