Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of approach shafts down to the facility... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores British leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of the group following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces involved in this operation for their skill and their bravery," Healey said. "They were among thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in the country, after an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
