Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of entry passages leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of British personnel stationed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the American forces executed what it termed a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, following an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
