British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of approach shafts leading to the site... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among a great many British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove militants who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
