Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were numerous UK service members stationed over the holidays. This operation, to take out militants who pose a risk to our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, following an assault killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
