British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," he commented. "They were among thousands of British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
