RAF Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in hills just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were numerous British personnel stationed over the festive period. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our security, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
In December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, following an assault killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
