Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages down to the depot... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he added. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate militants who endanger our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
