Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several approach shafts leading to the site... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of British forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many UK service members on duty over the holidays. This action, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our security, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
