British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of approach shafts leading to the depot... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of thousands of British personnel deployed over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
