British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of access tunnels providing entry to the site... early reports are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of British forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
