Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of access tunnels down to the site... early reports are that the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were numerous UK service members stationed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our safety, shows how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
