British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts down to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, highlights how British military are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
