Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of entry passages leading to the facility... early reports are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey said. "They were among a great many British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
