Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several entry passages leading to the facility... early reports indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their courage," Healey said. "They were among numerous British personnel deployed over the festive period. This mission, to take out militants who endanger our safety, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
