RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of entry passages providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their valour," he said. "They were among thousands of British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military carried out what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
