British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several entry passages down to the depot... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces participating in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among numerous British troops stationed over the holidays. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, after an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
