Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using surveillance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of access tunnels providing entry to the site... early reports indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were numerous UK service members on duty over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate militants who endanger our safety, shows how British military are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
