British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in hills just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several entry passages providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were numerous British personnel on duty over the holidays. This mission, to take out militants who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military executed what it termed a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
