British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several entry passages providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our security, shows how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
