RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their courage," he commented. "They were among a great many British troops deployed over the festive period. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military conducted what it called a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
