RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were a great many UK service members stationed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our security, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
In December, the US military carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
