British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, located using intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a several entry passages leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey added. "They were part of a great many UK service members on duty over the holidays. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our security, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
