Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages leading to the depot... early reports indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces participating in this mission for their skill and their bravery," he commented. "They were among a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "massive strike" against IS targets in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
