Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their valour," Healey added. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, shows how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
