Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of access tunnels leading to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces involved in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were thousands of British troops stationed over the festive period. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
