RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels leading to the site... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among thousands of British troops stationed over the holidays. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" against 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 has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
