Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he said. "They were part of thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
