RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages providing entry to the facility... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey said. "Including them were numerous British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military executed what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
