Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of entry passages down to the facility... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, highlights how British military are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military conducted what it called a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
