Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of approach shafts leading to the facility... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
