British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels down to the facility... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were a great many UK service members deployed over the festive period. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
