RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of approach shafts leading to the site... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," Healey added. "They were part of thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
