Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several access tunnels providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," he added. "Including them were numerous British personnel on duty over the holidays. This operation, to take out militants who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
