RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our security, shows how British military are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
