Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several entry passages providing entry to the site... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were among thousands of UK service members on duty over the holidays. This action, to remove militants who threaten our security, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
