Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of entry passages leading to the depot... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," he said. "Including them were numerous UK service members stationed over the festive period. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
