British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The location, located using surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several approach shafts down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how British military are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
