British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of approach shafts down to the site... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "Including them were numerous British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an attack killed two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
