British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several access tunnels down to the facility... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of British forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," he added. "They were among numerous UK service members deployed over the festive period. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
