British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of entry passages leading to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister said.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members on duty over the holidays. This operation, to take out militants who endanger our safety, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
In December, the American forces conducted what it called a "major assault" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
