British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of numerous British troops deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack killed two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
