Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members stationed over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
