British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several access tunnels down to the facility... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - enforced militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of British forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were part of thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove militants who endanger our safety, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
