Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - established extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were part of thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces executed what it called a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack killed two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
