Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just to the north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of entry passages down to the facility... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of thousands of British troops stationed over the festive period. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the US military executed what it described as a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
