Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of entry passages leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of British forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their valour," he commented. "Including them were thousands of British troops stationed over the festive period. This mission, to remove militants who endanger our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
