RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several approach shafts down to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," he commented. "Including them were a great many British troops on duty over the festive period. This operation, to take out militants who threaten our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "major assault" targeting IS targets in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
