British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of entry passages leading to the depot... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their skill and their bravery," Healey added. "Including them were numerous British personnel deployed over the holidays. This operation, to take out militants who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Syria and Iraq.
