Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out militants who threaten our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military conducted what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
