Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The site, located using surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of approach shafts providing entry to the depot... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," he said. "They were part of numerous British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out militants who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN reports Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
