British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of access tunnels leading to the site... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey added. "They were part of a great many British troops on duty over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
