Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of entry passages down to the site... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among a great many British personnel on duty over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "major assault" on Daesh sites in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
