RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in hills just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of entry passages down to the site... early reports indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of numerous British troops on duty over the festive period. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
