RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the IS group, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by intelligence, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several access tunnels leading to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "massive strike" on IS targets in Syria, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
