British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of approach shafts leading to the facility... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - established jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of British forces involved in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in the country, following an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
