RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the facility... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of our armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," he said. "They were among numerous British troops on duty over the festive period. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
