British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, located using intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of British forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," Healey said. "Including them were a great many British personnel stationed over the holidays. This action, to take out militants who endanger our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
