Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of approach shafts leading to the facility... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," Healey commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members stationed over the festive period. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
