British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts down to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," Healey said. "Including them were numerous UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military executed what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, after an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN reports Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
