British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - enforced militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "They were among thousands of British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
