Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The location, located using intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several entry passages providing entry to the depot... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "They were part of thousands of UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our security, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it described as a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
