British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several access tunnels down to the site... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - enforced militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," he commented. "Including them were thousands of British personnel on duty over the holidays. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, shows how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
