Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in hills just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their courage," Healey commented. "Including them were a great many British personnel stationed over the festive period. This mission, to remove militants who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the US military conducted what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
