British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of access tunnels leading to the facility... early reports suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as Daesh - established militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their courage," he said. "They were part of numerous British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove militants who threaten our security, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
