Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of entry passages down to the depot... initial indications indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many British troops stationed over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our security, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
