RAF 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 UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "They were among thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out militants who pose a risk to our security, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" targeting IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
