Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages down to the depot... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
During December, the US military conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an assault killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
