British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the IS group, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several entry passages providing entry to the depot... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of British personnel stationed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
