RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, located using intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountains just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of approach shafts leading to the depot... early reports are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have conducted patrols over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," Healey said. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, following an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
