Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, located using intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have conducted patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their bravery," he said. "Including them were thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove militants who endanger our way of life, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces executed what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
