Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels providing entry to the site... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of British troops stationed over the festive period. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "major assault" against IS targets in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
