British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among thousands of British personnel on duty over the festive period. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, after an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
