Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several approach shafts down to the site... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces participating in this operation for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among a great many British personnel deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military executed what it termed a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
