Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in hills just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several entry passages providing entry to the site... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," he commented. "They were among thousands of British personnel on duty over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an ambush killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
