British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of approach shafts down to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their valour," Healey added. "They were among a great many British personnel stationed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in the country, after an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
