British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of entry passages leading to the site... early reports are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike shows British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of British forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," he added. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over the festive period. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, shows how British military are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the US military executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says IS still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
