British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, located using surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - enforced militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," he added. "They were among thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it called a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
