British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, located using surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels down to the depot... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - referred to as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," Healey commented. "They were among a great many British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, shows how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military carried out what it called a "major assault" on Daesh sites in the country, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
