Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several entry passages leading to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their courage," Healey said. "Including them were numerous British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, following an ambush killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
