Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - established jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," he commented. "Including them were a great many UK service members deployed over the festive period. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how British military are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
