British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of approach shafts providing entry to the site... initial indications indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate 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 surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," he added. "They were part of thousands of British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
