British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, located using intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several entry passages leading to the site... early reports indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - established jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their bravery," he commented. "They were among a great many UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, after an attack killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
