British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a series of entry passages leading to the site... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "They were part of numerous British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate militants who threaten our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad."
In December, the US military conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, following an assault killed two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
