British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of British forces participating in this mission for their skill and their courage," Healey said. "Including them were thousands of British troops stationed over the festive period. This action, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
