British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among thousands of British personnel deployed over the festive period. This operation, to take out militants who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "massive strike" against IS targets in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
