Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the IS group, according to the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of access tunnels down to the site... early reports are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "They were part of thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
