Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," he commented. "They were part of a great many British personnel stationed over the holidays. This action, to take out militants who threaten our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
