Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several access tunnels providing entry to the depot... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "Including them were thousands of British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove militants who endanger our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
