British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after 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 operation for their skill and their courage," he added. "They were part of thousands of British troops deployed over the festive period. This operation, to take out militants who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military conducted what it described as a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
