Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a several access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous British troops stationed over the festive period. This action, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our security, highlights how British military are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military conducted what it termed a "massive strike" on IS targets in the country, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
