British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the IS group, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of approach shafts down to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many British troops deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
