Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, 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 said.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among a great many British personnel deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
