British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were part of thousands of British personnel deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
