RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of approach shafts down to the depot... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group following its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their courage," Healey said. "They were among a great many UK service members on duty over the festive period. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
