RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the IS group, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several access tunnels leading to the depot... early reports indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military conducted what it described as a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
