Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission 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 UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of approach shafts leading to the depot... early reports are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their bravery," he commented. "They were among thousands of British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove militants who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
