Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of entry passages providing entry to the facility... early reports are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces participating in this strike for their skill and their bravery," he said. "They were among numerous British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces conducted what it called a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
