British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of a great many British personnel on duty over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" against IS targets in the country, following an assault killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
