Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of entry passages leading to the site... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were a great many British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in Syria, following an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
