British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in hills just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several approach shafts leading to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as ISIS - imposed militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their courage," he said. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
