British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of access tunnels down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over the festive period. This mission, to remove militants who endanger our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
