RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission 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 location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of access tunnels down to the facility... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as ISIS - enforced militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were numerous British personnel on duty over the holidays. This action, to eliminate militants who threaten our way of life, highlights how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
