Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
