RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, located using intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - imposed militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces involved in this operation for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were a great many UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it described as a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
