Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - established militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their courage," Healey said. "Including them were numerous British troops on duty over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, after an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
