RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of access tunnels leading to the depot... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among thousands of British personnel deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
