Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of access tunnels down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - established jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were among numerous British troops on duty over the holidays. This action, to eliminate militants who endanger our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
