Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," he commented. "They were among thousands of UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
