Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
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 Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their bravery," he said. "Including them were a great many British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
