British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several entry passages leading to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of British forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their courage," he added. "Including them were a great many UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our safety, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
