British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of entry passages down to the facility... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our security, highlights how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports Islamic State still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
