Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, located using surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several access tunnels down to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" against Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
