British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," he added. "They were part of numerous British personnel deployed over the holidays. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
