Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several access tunnels down to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," Healey added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate militants who endanger our safety, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
