Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were among numerous British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
