Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The site, identified by intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - established militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of thousands of UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove militants who threaten our security, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an attack killed two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
