Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among thousands of British personnel on duty over the holidays. This mission, to remove militants who threaten our safety, shows how UK forces are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
