Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of entry passages down to the facility... early reports are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among a great many British troops on duty over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, shows how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" on IS targets in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
