Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of approach shafts down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as ISIS - enforced militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were thousands of British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove militants who pose a risk to our security, highlights how British military are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military conducted what it termed a "major assault" against IS targets in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
