British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as Daesh - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey said. "They were part of thousands of British troops stationed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
