British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several approach shafts leading to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," he said. "Including them were a great many British troops stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
