Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels down to the depot... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing 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 operation for their expertise and their valour," Healey said. "They were among numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
