British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several approach shafts leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of British forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among thousands of British personnel stationed over the holidays. This action, to remove militants who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, following an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
