Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were part of a great many UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the US military carried out what it termed a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
