British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of British forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it termed a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
