Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
