RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several entry passages down to the depot... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their courage," he added. "They were among numerous British personnel deployed over the holidays. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our safety, highlights how UK forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
