RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among numerous UK service members deployed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the US military carried out what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
