Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - imposed militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were thousands of British personnel stationed over the festive period. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military conducted what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
