Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several access tunnels providing entry to the site... initial indications indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "They were part of thousands of British personnel stationed over the holidays. This operation, to remove militants who pose a risk to our security, highlights how British military are always on standby, all year round, protecting the UK domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
