British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their bravery," he said. "They were among a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our safety, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
