RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of approach shafts leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey commented. "Including them were a great many British troops on duty over the festive period. This action, to eliminate militants who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how British military are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military conducted what it described as a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
