Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," Healey said. "They were part of thousands of British troops on duty over the festive period. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
