RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of entry passages leading to the depot... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of British forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous British troops on duty over the festive period. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an assault killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
