British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces participating in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, after an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
