Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, located using intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of entry passages providing entry to the depot... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and determination to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," he added. "They were among thousands of British troops on duty over the festive period. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
