Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as 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 used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of access tunnels providing entry to the depot... early reports suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he said. "They were among numerous UK service members stationed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
