British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several access tunnels providing entry to the depot... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," Healey added. "They were part of a great many British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
During December, the US military conducted what it termed a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an assault killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Daesh still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
