British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by surveillance, was assessed as 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.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of entry passages down to the facility... early reports suggest the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their courage," he added. "They were among thousands of UK service members on duty over the festive period. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
In December, the US military carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
