Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several access tunnels providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "They were among a great many British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our security, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
