Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of entry passages down to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their bravery," Healey said. "They were among a great many UK service members on duty over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate terrorist threats who threaten our safety, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
