RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of approach shafts down to the site... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," Healey commented. "They were part of a great many British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" against Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN reports Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
