British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, located using surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of approach shafts down to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among numerous UK service members stationed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
