British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of entry passages down to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of British forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "Including them were numerous British troops on duty over the festive period. This operation, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
