Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of access tunnels down to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their bravery," Healey commented. "Including them were numerous British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military conducted what it termed a "massive strike" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
