Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a several access tunnels leading to the facility... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - imposed militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "They were part of numerous British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "massive strike" against IS targets in Syria, following an assault killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
