RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels leading to the facility... early reports suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," he said. "They were among numerous British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in the country, following an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
