Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of access tunnels down to the depot... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their bravery," Healey added. "They were among thousands of British personnel deployed over the holidays. This action, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
