RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just above Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of entry passages providing entry to the facility... early reports indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of the group after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this operation for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were numerous British personnel deployed over the holidays. This mission, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, shows how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault killed two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN estimates Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
