British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of approach shafts down to the site... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "They were part of thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate militants who endanger our security, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the US military carried out what it called a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, after an attack killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
