RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of access tunnels leading to the depot... early reports are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - established militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their skill and their courage," Healey said. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This action, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
