Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were among a great many British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, highlights how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN reports Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
