Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels down to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as ISIS - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their skill and their courage," he said. "Including them were thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
