British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The facility, located using surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several access tunnels providing entry to the facility... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of British forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among thousands of British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, shows how British military are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the US military executed what it termed a "major assault" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
