Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, located using intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several entry passages down to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," Healey commented. "They were among numerous UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, highlights how British military are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military carried out what it termed a "major assault" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an attack killed two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
