Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their courage," he said. "They were among a great many UK service members deployed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
