Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of access tunnels down to the site... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "Including them were thousands of British troops on duty over the festive period. This operation, to take out militants who threaten our safety, highlights how British military are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
