RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," Healey commented. "Including them were a great many British personnel on duty over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, highlights how British military are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, after an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
