Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of access tunnels down to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," Healey added. "They were part of thousands of British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove militants who threaten our way of life, highlights how British military are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the US military carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
