Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their bravery," Healey added. "They were among thousands of British troops stationed over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, after an attack killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
