British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, according to the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of British forces involved in this operation for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of thousands of British personnel deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
In December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.
