RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as Daesh - established militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces participating in this mission for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members stationed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our security, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" against Daesh sites in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
