Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in hills just to the north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several approach shafts leading to the site... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military carried out what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush killed two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
