British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of entry passages leading to the depot... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their valour," Healey added. "They were among thousands of British troops stationed over the holidays. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, after an assault killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
