British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as Daesh - established extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, shows how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
