British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of approach shafts leading to the depot... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of British forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," Healey said. "They were part of thousands of British troops on duty over the festive period. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
