Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of approach shafts leading to the facility... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their courage," he added. "Including them were thousands of British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove militants who threaten our way of life, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
