Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of entry passages down to the site... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how British military are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it described as a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
