Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels leading to the depot... early reports suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their valour," he added. "They were among numerous UK service members deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out militants who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military carried out what it termed a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
