British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria used by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of approach shafts providing entry to the site... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among thousands of UK service members stationed over the festive period. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
