British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of entry passages down to the depot... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of British forces involved in this strike for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military executed what it termed a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
