Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of access tunnels leading to the facility... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their valour," he said. "They were among a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
