Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as Daesh - imposed militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "Including them were thousands of British troops deployed over the festive period. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
