British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a joint strike targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, located using intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, highlights how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in the country, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
