British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," Healey added. "They were part of a great many British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove militants who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
