Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several entry passages down to the facility... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their bravery," Healey said. "Including them were numerous British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate militants who threaten our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, following an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
