RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of entry passages leading to the depot... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN reports Islamic State still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
