RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several approach shafts down to the facility... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," he commented. "They were part of thousands of British personnel deployed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
