Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their valour," Healey said. "They were among thousands of UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military conducted what it called a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, following an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
