Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several entry passages providing entry to the site... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "They were part of a great many UK service members deployed over the holidays. This action, to take out militants who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military conducted what it called a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, after an attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
