British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of approach shafts down to the site... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces involved in this mission for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of thousands of UK service members deployed over the festive period. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
