British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of entry passages providing entry to the facility... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing 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 skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among a great many British personnel on duty over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
