RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces participating in this operation for their skill and their bravery," he added. "Including them were a great many UK service members stationed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate militants who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
