Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - established extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," Healey added. "Including them were a great many British personnel on duty over the holidays. This action, to remove militants who endanger our safety, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an ambush killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
