RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
