British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of approach shafts leading to the depot... initial indications are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as Daesh - established jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their valour," he added. "They were among thousands of British troops on duty over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate militants who endanger our security, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.