Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey added. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove militants who endanger our safety, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military conducted what it described as a "massive strike" against IS targets in the country, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
