Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," Healey added. "They were among numerous British personnel on duty over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military carried out what it termed a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
