Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of access tunnels down to the depot... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their valour," he added. "They were part of a great many UK service members stationed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, following an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
