RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the facility... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," he added. "They were among a great many British personnel deployed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
