British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... early reports suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
