RAF Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The location, located using surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - established extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," Healey added. "They were among numerous British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, after an attack killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
