RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... early reports are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their valour," Healey commented. "They were among numerous British personnel deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military carried out what it called a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
