British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey said. "Including them were thousands of British personnel deployed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in the country, following an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
