British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, located using intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of entry passages providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces involved in this operation for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, after an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
