Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of access tunnels down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of our armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were part of numerous British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces conducted what it called a "major assault" against Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
