RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action shows our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an ambush killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
