RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several entry passages down to the site... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were among numerous British personnel stationed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
