Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several access tunnels down to the depot... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," Healey commented. "They were among a great many British troops on duty over the festive period. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
