RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of entry passages providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their courage," Healey commented. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This operation, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
