Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The location, located using surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of approach shafts leading to the facility... 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 every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as Daesh - established militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "major assault" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
