Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of British forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," Healey commented. "They were part of thousands of UK service members deployed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military carried out what it called a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
