RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft 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 site, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their courage," Healey commented. "They were among numerous British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out militants who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an assault killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
