Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of entry passages providing entry to the depot... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," Healey said. "Including them were numerous British personnel stationed over the holidays. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the US military carried out what it termed a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, after an attack killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
