Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the IS group, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
