RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of approach shafts down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among a great many UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
