British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their valour," he added. "They were part of a great many British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our security, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in the country, following an assault killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
