Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of approach shafts leading to the facility... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of IS after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their valour," he commented. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our security, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
