British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of entry passages down to the site... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
