British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of approach shafts leading to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were numerous British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, shows how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
