British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their bravery," he said. "They were part of numerous British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our security, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces executed what it called a "massive strike" against IS targets in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
