Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of entry passages leading to the depot... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," he added. "They were part of thousands of UK service members on duty over the festive period. This action, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
