British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of access tunnels down to the facility... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," he added. "They were part of thousands of UK service members on duty over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, shows how British military are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces conducted what it called a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
