British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, located using intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over the festive period. This action, to remove militants who endanger our safety, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
