British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their valour," he said. "Including them were a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an ambush killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
