British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, located using intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of access tunnels leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their valour," Healey commented. "They were among numerous UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "major assault" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
