British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of approach shafts down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of British forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate militants who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an assault killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
