British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of entry passages down to the site... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows British leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their courage," Healey said. "Including them were a great many UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
