RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces participating in this operation for their skill and their bravery," he said. "They were part of a great many British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our security, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
