Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of entry passages leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," he added. "They were part of thousands of British personnel on duty over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, highlights how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
