Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several access tunnels leading to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - established militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among numerous British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the US military conducted what it described as a "major assault" against Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
