Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The site, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of entry passages providing entry to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their courage," he said. "Including them were a great many UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out militants who threaten our way of life, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the US military conducted what it called a "major assault" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
