Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "They were part of thousands of British personnel on duty over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
