British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside France's air force in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several approach shafts leading to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of British forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their valour," Healey said. "They were part of a great many British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, after an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
