British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of approach shafts leading to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "Including them were a great many British personnel stationed over the holidays. This mission, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
