Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, located using surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several entry passages providing entry to the depot... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of British forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This mission, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
