Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside France's air force in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of entry passages leading to the facility... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows British leadership, and resolve 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 Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," Healey added. "They were among numerous British personnel stationed over the festive period. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
