British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove 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 at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
