RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of entry passages down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their valour," Healey added. "They were part of a great many British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
