Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels leading to the depot... early reports are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of numerous British personnel stationed over the festive period. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
