British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several access tunnels leading to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were a great many British personnel stationed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an attack killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
