Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he said. "They were among thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove militants who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
