Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of our armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among a great many British troops on duty over the holidays. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
