Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, located using surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of entry passages leading to the depot... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - established militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," he commented. "Including them were a great many British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
