RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the IS group, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the minister stated.
British military aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," he said. "They were among numerous British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out militants who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the American forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
