RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a several entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their courage," he added. "Including them were a great many UK service members on duty over the festive period. This action, to take out militants who threaten our security, demonstrates how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in the country, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
