British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages down to the depot... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were a great many British troops stationed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces executed what it described as a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, after an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
